Kays Translations

Chapter 8: Laboratory

　I’d been quietly preparing for this day for some time.

　Sneaking into the room Grandmother always used for making magic potions, I’d helped myself to several of the bottles used for holding magic potions. I fully intend to give them back eventually, so it isn’t stealing.

　While I was at it I’d hoped to get hold of materials such as medicinal herbs too, but those were locked away securely in a safe and were beyond my reach.

　Still — is that really an acceptable way to store them? It didn’t look like the sort of safe that could hold a constant temperature.

　Well, none of that concerns me. What I had to hand were freshly picked medicinal herbs. Peak freshness. The quality, however, was only Normal. They’d been growing wild, so that couldn’t be helped.

　Had they been growing in more fertile ground, they might have reached the tier above — High.

　My only equipment was the bottles. Not one of the other specialised tools was available to me.

　Ordinarily, making magic potions would be out of the question. But I had the ‘Laboratory’ skill.

　This skill creates a special magical space by continuously consuming magical power. What lies within is a wondrously strange realm that’s “subject to no restrictions whatsoever.”

　In other words, by using that space, I can disregard the whole array of tools production would normally demand and simply make the thing. The catch is that it burns through an absurd amount of magical power.

“Just making a basic recovery potion should be within reach. I can do it, I can do it, I can definitely do it. It’s all about mindset.”

　I drew in a deep breath, steadied my breathing, and activated the ‘Laboratory’ skill.

　I could feel the strength draining out of my body bit by bit. I couldn’t afford to take my time here.

　I put water conjured by magic into the magical space and evaporated it all in one go. Then I immediately turned that vapour back into water.

　This stripped out the magical power the water had contained. Any impurities mixed in could be removed the same way. Doing this produces high-quality water.

　I stared hard at the water I’d made.

　Distilled water: Highest quality

　In descending order, the quality tiers run Highest, High, Normal, Low, Lowest. Which is to say, water of any greater quality can’t be made.

“Good. All according to plan so far. Next…”

　I tossed the medicinal herbs I’d gathered earlier into the magical space. Using the ‘Drying’ skill, I dried them out until they were as brittle as pressed flowers, then broke them down as finely as if they’d been ground in a mortar.

　I combined that with the water from before and heated it promptly.

　Once the water had turned a clear green, I drew off the impurities as though straining them through a filter. I poured the resulting transparent green liquid into the bottles.

　Three basic recovery potions in total.

“Quality is… High. Not bad at all.”

　The medicinal herbs had only been Normal quality, yet I’d still managed to finish a basic recovery potion at the second-highest tier. It was only then that I noticed sweat pouring off me. My body felt tremendously heavy. I must have been concentrating so hard that I hadn’t registered it until that moment.

“But this proves the ‘Laboratory’ skill works. With this, I can manage to make magic potions under my own power.”

　Even so, once a day appears to be my limit for the present. Something to look forward to once I’ve grown and my magical capacity has increased. If I keep turning out magic potions at this rate, they may well prove useful for something down the line.

　I tried smelling the freshly made basic recovery potion. Yes — as I’d expected, odourless. How on earth do you manage to produce something that reeks the way theirs does?

　Turning that question over, I stowed the basic recovery potions carefully away in a locked drawer. My next objective was building up the medicinal herb garden. Naturally, I can’t make anything without materials. I wanted to reach the point of making an “antidote” from antidote herb as soon as I could. You never know what might happen.

　After that I visited the medicinal herb garden every day. Rain or wind, without fail. Little by little I expanded it, until I could obtain medicinal herbs and antidote herb by my own efforts.

　Then one day, I learned that the Heine margraviate’s household knight order had set out to subjugate monsters once again.

　This was my chance to test the magic potions I’d made! At worst I’d been prepared to cut my own finger to try one out, but now it looked as though a fine crop of test subjects was assembling. I had ten bottles of High-quality recovery potion and one bottle of antidote, also High quality. More than enough to confirm their effects.

　At mealtimes I drew the story of the campaign out of Father and confirmed that the knights had indeed set out, and during daily training I questioned Lionel, the Knight Commander, about it. While I was doing so, word arrived that the monster subjugation was over and the knights had returned.

　I’d been waiting for this. I set off for the barracks I’d visited before — with every last magic potion I owned crammed into my bag, naturally.

　The medic from that day greeted me as I turned up unannounced.

“Lord Julius?! What brings you here so suddenly? Someone! Someone fetch the Commander at once!”

　Someone went clattering off down the corridor. Perfect. Better that Lionel knows about this too.

“I found myself a little concerned about the wounded, so I’ve come to offer a few words of thanks.”

“It’s about to become hell in there. Are you mentally prepared?”

“Y-Yes, I’ll be fine.”

　The medic checked with a face touched by sorrow. Being given a look like that’s rather frightening. But I couldn’t back down here. If you’re a man, stake it all on a single throw. Some great person said that.

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